THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249       www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street  Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N,                    70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
               "Heavens on the half shell."


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, June 3, 2016
Star Lore Quiz

We adopt (steal) a format that Isaac Asimov's quizzes popularized. Instead
of ratings, we have three degree programs: Bachelor's, Master's, PhD.
The Bachelor's level has the easiest questions; the PhD level the hardest.
There are five questions in the first two levels, three questions in the
PhD level.
In order to earn a Bachelor's, you must answer at least three questions
correctly in that level.
To earn a Master's degree, you must have a Bachelor's degree and answer at
least four questions correctly in the Master's level.
To earn a PhD, you must have both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree and
you have to answer ALL three PhD questions correctly.
PhD recipients can therefore call themselves "celestial mythologists of the
first order" on any appropriate occasion. If we ever
figure out what sort of occasion would be appropriate for this boast, we'll
let you know.

Bachelor's Degree Level

[Fill in the Blank]

1. The famous "belt" is part of the constellation ________________. a.
Ophiuchus
b. Hercules
 c. Orion
d. Pegasus

2. The "Big Dipper" is part of the constellation________________.
a. Ursa Major
b. Ursa Minor
c. Cassiopeia
d. Draco the Dragon

3. Cancer, the __________ contains
the __________ Star Cluster.
a. Cancer; Beehive
b. Dolphin; Orange
c. Whale; Pixie
d. Crow; Hercules

4. Castor and Pollux are __________________.
a. the Gemini twins
b. the brothers of Helen of Troy
c. twin brothers, but half brothers d. all of the above.

5. In the sky, Taurus the ___________ protects the
____________ from _____________.
a. Peacock; celestial flowers; Ophiuchus
b. Bull; Pleiades; Orion
c. Charioteer; mermaids; the sharks
d. Matador; audience; the Bull


Master's Degree Level

6. Cassiopeia was the queen of which country?
a. Greece
b. Thrace
c. Ethiopia
d. Mesopotamia

7. Who is called "the kneeling one?"
a. Vulpecula
b. Ophiuchus
c. Aries
d. Hercules
e. Cepheus

8. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, marks
the ___________ of ______________.
a. throat; Canis Minor
b. throat; Canes Venatici
c. throat; Canis Major
d. nose; Canes Venatici
e. collar; Canis Minor

9. Corona Borealis, "the Northern Crown," represents the diadem
worn by whom?
a. Ariadne, who married Bacchus after Theseus abandoned her. Bacchus
fashioned this crown
of stars for her as a token of his devotion.
b. Hera, scorned wife of Zeus who wore an invisibility crown to spy on her
husband
c. Helen of Troy, to whom Paris gave a valuable crown after her abduction
d. Aurora, who dons the crown whenever light appears in the east

10. _________________, the flying horse was born out of the blood of
_______________ and eventually tamed by ____________________.
a. Voldipox; Apollo; Mercury
b. Pegasus; Medusa; Bellophoron
c. Pegasus; Medusa; Patheon
d. Pegasus; Sibyl; Athena


PhD Level
11. Star names that begin with "Al" are likely
to be Arabic in origin, because "Al" is the Arabic word for
a. star
b. light
c. the
d. man
e. creature
f. world


12. Aries the Ram once marked the point of the Vernal Equinox.
The Equinox point is now in the constellation _________________.
a. Aquarius
b. Pisces
c. Aries the Ram (the equinox point doesn't move)
d. Sagittarius
e. Taurus

13. Which two constellations appear to ride on Hydra the water snake?
a. Delphinus and Capricornus
b. Aquarius and Capricornus
c. Corvus and Crater
d. Delphinus and Corvus
e. Aquila and Lyra
f. Serpens and Perseus
g. Capricornus and Eridanus


Bachelor's Degree Level Answers

1. c. Orion

Orion's belt is one of the night sky's most famous asterism. A diagonal
arrangement of three stars(Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka), Orion's belt is
nearly in the constellation's center

2. a. Ursa Major

Ursa Major is the Great Bear. The Big Dipper's bowl marks the bear's
stomach. The handle marks its tail.

3. a. Cancer; Beehive

4. d. all of the above.

Yes, Castor and Pollux are the Gemini twins. They are Helen of Troy's
brothers. As they had the same efficient mother, but different fathers,
they are twin half-brothers.

5. b. Bull; Pleiades; Orion

Taurus the Bull stands between Orion the Hunter and the Pleiades Sisters.



Master's Degree Level answers
6. c. Ethiopia

Cetus ravaged the Ethiopian coast after Cassiopeia bragged that her
daughter was more beautiful than Posideon's sea nymphs.

7. d. Hercules

Hercules is called the kneeling one because he is depicted kneeling on
Draco the Dragon's head.
. c. throat; Canis Major
Sirius is the throat in Canis Major, the great dog.

9. a. Ariadne, who married Bacchus after Theseus abandoned her. Bacchus
fashioned this crown
of stars for her as a token of his devotion.

10. b. Pegasus; Medusa; Bellophoron


PhD Level answers

11. c. the

Examples: "Aldebaran," (the follower); "Alnitak," (the girdle); "Alnilam"
(the belt of pearls)


12. b. Pisces

The Sun occupies Pisces the Fish on the Vernal Equinox (first day of
Spring.) Precession of the Equinoxes shifts all the seasonal points along
the ecliptic by one degree every 73 years (on average).


13. c. Corvus and Crater

Corvus the Crow; Crater the Cup